Double pan shingle take-off for machine for making roofing shingles



Jan, 28, 1958 H. H. FULLER 2,321,123

DOUBLE PAN SHINGLE TAKE-OFF FOR MACHINE FOR MAKING ROOFING SHINGLES Filed June 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 -Fii.

PB 02 5mm" difhllew a figyy Jan. 28, 1958 H. H. FULLER DOUBLE PAN SHINGLE TAKE-OFF FOR MACHINE FOR MAKING ROOFING SHINGLES Filed June 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jaim- 1953 H. H. FULLER 2,821,123

DOUBLE PAN SHINGLE TAKE-OFF FOR MACHINE FOR MAKING ROOFING SHINGLES Filed JuneO'Y, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 28, 1958 H. H. FULLER 2,821,123

DOUBLE PAN SHINGLE TAKE-OFF FOR MACHINE FOR MAKING ROOFING SHINGLES Filed June 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fizfienfor: y flfbfizeral filler United States Patent DOUBLE PAN SHINGLE TAKE-OFF FOR MACHINE FOR MAKING ROOFING SHINGLES Homer H. Fuller, Western Springs, 11]., assignor to Roofmg Machinery Mfg. Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 7, 1955, Serial No. 513,777

3 Claims. (Cl. 93-93) This invention relates to improvements in an asphalt shingle take-off and refers particularly to a device which may be employed at the discharge end of a roofing shingle making machine for counting and stacking the finished shingles into predetermined bundles.

In the manufacture of asphalt shingles for roofing, the shingles are made essentially from a felt web which is passed continuously forwardly through the shingle making machine in which various operations are performed, such as, saturating and coating the web with asphalt, dusting with mica and applying granules or the like to the tabs of the shingles. Essentially the felt web enters the machine in web form of a predetermined width; is slitted lengthwise into various widths and is cut and/or notched transversely to form the unit shingle. Depending upon the width of the web and the size of the finished shingle, the web may be longitudinally slit once to form two shingles or may be slit three times to form four shingles or may be slit any desired number of times to form any desired number of shingles. The slitted shingles are cut transversely to form unit shingles which are discharged from the machine.

The unit shingles are then stacked with a predetermined number of units in a stack. In view of the fact that a single shingle making machine delivers two or more unit shingles at the same time, ditficulty has been encountered in manually counting the unit shingles to form unit stacks, and removing from the delivery platform the stacks while at the same time keeping track of the number of unit shingles continuously delivered by the machine and forming the next stack.

The present invention is directed to an automatic device for counting the unit shingles and segregating them into stacks each containing the requisite number of unit shingles.

In view of the fact that any desired number of devices comprising the present invention may be used on a single shingle making machine, all of which would be identical to each other in structure and operation, the present invention illustrates and describes a unit take-ofi device adapted to operate on a single line of shingles, whereas, as has been hereinbefore described, a shingle making machine may comprise a plurality of such lines. Thus, it is to be understood that, for purposes of simplifying the present description, just one portion of the discharge end of a shingle making machine will be referred to.

The operation, advantages and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and following detailed description.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of the discharge end of a shingle making machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view of the machine taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of a shingle-receiving pan.

2 2,821,123 Patented Jan. 28, 1958 ICC Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of the take-01f mechanism in a predetermined position.

Fig. 6vis a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the take-0E mechanism in an alternate position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 indicates general- 1y a portion of the discharge end of a conventional asphalt roofing shingle making machine. The discharge end portion 1 comprises vertical frame members 2; vertical frame members 3 for the superstructure of the machine; horizontal frame members 4 and 5 and transverse fi'ame members 6 and 7. An electric motor 8 coupled to a conventional gear reducer 9 is mounted upon the superstructure, the gear reducer having an output shaft 10 upon which a sprocket wheel 11 is mounted. Bearings are mounted upon frame members 3 in which a shaft 13 is journaled. A sprocket wheel 14 is carried upon shaft 13 and a sprocket chain 15 is trained around sprocket wheels 11 and 14 whereby shaft 13 is rotated by motor 8.

A shaft 16 is journaled upon frame members 5 and carries a pulley 17 and a similar pulley 18 is mounted upon the shaft 13. Conveyor belts 19 are trained around pulleys 17 and 18 which are driven by motor 8 through shaft 13. As will be hereinafter more fully described, asphalt shingles are adapted to be conveyed upon the belts 19 from the discharge portion of the shingle machine to the take-off device comprising the present invention.

The shingle 20 is a conventional asphalt shingle having a body portion upon one longitudinal edge of which three tabs are formed, two tabs of which are shown at 21, in Figs. 5 and 6. The unit shingles conveyed upon the belts 19 comprise one line of shingles slitted from a Wider web which may, for example, be slitted to form two or more lines of said shingles. The problem of counting and stacking the shingles from each line is the same, and for purposes of clarity of explanation only one line of said shingles is shown and the application of the invention to this single line of shingles will be described.

An auxiliary frame is secured to the frame 1 comprising transverse beam 22, vertical beams 23, horizontal beams 24 and transverse beams 25 and 26. An angle iron bracket 27 is carried by the beams 23 and carries an electric lamp 28 which projects a focused beam of light 29 upon the active element of a photoelectric cell 30, the beam traversing the plane of the belts but being offset inwardly from said belts whereby said beam is not intercepted by either of the belts, but is intercepted by a shingle 20 which may be carried by said belts.

A bracket 31 is secured to one of the vertical beams 23, said bracket carrying a pair of spaced lugs 32 between which the end of a solenoid 33 is swingably secured. The solenoid carries a reciprocating plunger 34 which terminates at its outer end in a clevis 35 which is swingably secured to an arm 36. Arm 36 is rigidly secured to a shaft 37 which is journaled at its opposite ends in bearings 33 carried by the spaced vertical beams or columns 23. A diverting gate 39 is rigidly secured to shaft 37, said gate being swung by shaft 37 when the solenoid 33 is energized by the passage of current therethrough in one direction or the other.

A conventional electrically operated counter and relay 4%} is mounted upon frame member 4 and, per se, is not comprised in the present invention. An electric cable 41 connects the device 40 to the photoelectric cell 30 and a second cable 42 connects the device to solenoid 33. The device 40 is of such character that it responds to periodic impulses received from photoelectric cell 30. For example, when asphalt shingles 20 are carried upon the belts 19 they move downwardly upon said belts in end-to-end scriatim, the ends of adjacent shingles being spaced a slight distance from each other. The desired spacing of the shingles may be secured by running belts 19 at a desired higher speed than the conveyor (not shown) from which the strips are transferred to belts 19. The beam 29 is focused on the solid side edge portions of the shingle as opposed to theedge portions upon which the tabs 21 are formed whereby the beamremains interrupted by each shingle for the full length ofthe shingle and is uninterrupted only between the ends of adjacent shingles.

Between each pair of adjacent shingles carried by the belts 19, the'beam 29 reaches photoelectric cell 30 whereby an impulse is transmitted through cable 41 to the device 49. The device 40 is so adjusted that for a predetermined number of such impulses received it transmits an impulse to solenoid 33 over cable 42. Thus, for the passage of a predetermined number of shingles 20, the solenoid is energized and the diverting gate is swung. Alternative impulses sent to the solenoid are in opposite directions and, hence, the gate is swung so as to occupy two alternate positions.

A pair of rods 43' and 44 are mounted upon suitable brackets 45 carried upon'the spaced beams or columns 23, said rods being disposed in horizontal, parallel spaced relationship to each other. A standard 46, comprising a pair of channel irons disposed back-to-back carries a pair of superimposed brackets 47 and 48, said brackets carrying horizontally disposed rods49 and 50 respectively, the rods being positioned in parallel spaced relationship. A pair of support bars 51 are carried in spaced relationship to each other upon rod 43 and a similar pair of support bars 52 are similarly positioned upon rod 44. A pair of threaded support bars 53 are carried in spaced relationship upon rod 49 and a similar pair of threaded support bars 54 are carried in spaced relationship to each other upon rod 50. A supporting panor plate 55 is adapted to be positioned between rods 43 and 49 and a similar supporting pan or plate 56 is adapted to be secured between rods 44 and 50. At the lower face of the pan 55 adjacent one end thereof, said pan carries a pair of spaced sleeves 57 which are adapted to slidably engage the support bars 51. A pair of sleeves 58 are secured to the lower face of the pan 55 adjacent the opposite end thereof, said sleeves being adapted to slidably receive the threaded portions of the support bars 53. A pair of sleeves 59 are secured to the lower face of the pan 56, said sleeves being adapted to slidably receive the support bars 52 and a pair of sleeves 69 are secured to the lower face of the pan 56 adjacent its opposite end,

said sleeves being adapted to slidably receive the threaded portions of the support bars 24. a

The arrangement is such that two parallel inclined pans 55 and 56 are provided, the pan 55 being positioned immediately above and substantially parallel to the pan '56. In the operation of the device, when the diverting 'gate 39 is in a predetermined position, for instance, the position shown in Fig. 5, edge 61 thereof is so positioned with respect to pulley 18 that shingles carried by the mounted upon beam 23 and from said transfer plate said shingles move onto the upper surface of pan 56. When a predetermined number of shingles has been .stacked upon pan 56, the device 40 againrsends an impulse to solenoid 33 and gate 39 is moved to its original position, as shown best in Fig. 5, at which time the shingles from the belts 19 again are deposited upon the pan 55. Of course, when a predetermined number of shingles are stacked upon either of the pans, the stacked shingles of a predetermined number are removed from the pan and a bundle is formed thereof.

In view of the slidable relationship of the pans and 56 with respect to their respective supporting bars, the pans may be shifted from or away from frame member 3 and standard 46. In order to accomplish this shifting action, nuts 64 threadedly engage the threaded supporting bars 53, said nuts abutting the ends of the sleeves 58. In similar fashion nuts 65 threadedly engage the threaded portions of the bars 54. By the proper manipulation of the nuts 64 and 65, the pins 55 and 56 may be respectively moved toward or away from the columns 3 and 46.

It will be noted, by particular reference to Figs. 3 and 4, that pan 55, and pan 56 identical therewith, are provided with a plurality of spaced, transverse slits 66 and 67 which extend partially across each pan. It will also be noted that the lateral edge portions of the pan adjacent the, slits 66 and 67 are canted in a ratchet fashion, that is, the forward defining edge 68 of slit 66 is higher than the rear defining edge 69 of said slit and the forward defining edge 70 of slit 67 is higher than the rear defining edge 71 of said slit.

As has been hereinbefore described, the conventional asphalt shingle 20 has three tabs formed along one lateral side. Frequently adjacent tabs of a shingle, because of the flexible nature of the shingle, become ofiset with respect to each other. Hence, when one shingle slides over another, as in the case when the shingles are delivere d to a stack, in the manner hereinbefore described, the ofiset tabs of a lower or upper shingle may engage each other and inhibit further sliding movement of the upper shingle.

By the provision of the ratchet-like form of the pans 55 and 56, the offset portions of the pans tend to ofiset the shingle tabs, but said ofisetting takes place in such direction that the tabs of superimposed shingles are raised and slide over the tabs of a lower shingle. In this fashion the tab edges do not become engaged and the shingles freely slide over each other.

I claim as my invention:

1. A roofing shingle take-off for a roofing shingle making machine of the type for making shingles having a plurality of tabs along the longitudinal edge of the shingles, said take-off comprising an endless conveyor for carrying newly made shingles in spaced end to end seriatim relationship from a roofing shingle making machine, a shinglereceiving pan disposed adjacent the discharge end of said conveyor upon which said spaced shingles are slid in the direction of their lengths from said conveyor in substantially plane-parallel superimposed relationship, said pan being provided with adjacent areas along a longitudinal side thereof corresponding to the tabs of the shingles received, adjacent areas being divided by a transverse line of severance and the area adjacent the conveyor being olfset at the line of severance above the area on the other side of said line of severance.

2. A roofing shingle take-off for a roofing shingle making machine of the type for making shingles having a plurality of tabs along the longitudinal edge of the shingles, said take 'off comprising an endless conveyor for carrying newlymade shingles in spaced end to end seriatim relationship from a roofing shingle making machine, a pair of superimposed spaced shingle-receiving pans disposed adjacent the discharge end of said conveyor upon which 5 said spaced shingles are slid in the direction of their length from said conveyor in substantially plane-parallel superimposed relationship, each pan being provided with adjacent areas along a longitudinal side thereof corresponding to the tabs of the shingles received, adjacent areas of each pan being divided by a transverse line of severance and the area of each pan adjacent the conveyorbeing offset at the line of severance above the area on the other side of said line of severance, a diverting gate positioned between the discharge end of said conveyor and said pans 'for diverting shingles from said conveyor to a predeter- 5 mined pan, and means for actuating said gate after a predetermined number of shingles have been received by one pan to divert shingles to the other pan.

3. A device as contemplated in claim 2 wherein said gate-actuating means comprises, a photoelectric cell positioned on one side of the upper pass of said conveyor, a light source positioned on the opposite Side of the upper pass of said conveyor for projecting a light beam upon said photoelectric cell, said light beam traversing the path of travel of the shingles upon the upper pass of said conveyor whereby said light beam is interrupted and established once during the passage of one shingle upon said conveyor, means for moving said gate to divert shingles from said conveyor to a predetermined pan, and means for connecting said gate-moving means and said photoelectric cell to actuate said gate-moving means after the light beam has been interrupted and established a predetermined plurality of times.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,460,059 Fine June 26, 1923 2,540,972 Wagner et a1. Feb. 6, 1951 2,697,388 Hansen Dec. 21, 1954 

